The sport compacts didn’t join the Bullring party until 2011, but in those two short years have won a lot of fans with their slam-bang style and a growing fan base for some of the division’s top drivers.

Unquestionably, the top driver this season was Austen Becerra, who didn’t win the series title but won just about everything else — including the Stevie Dirt Driver of the Year award. Becerra missed some early season action that wound up costing him the track championship, but by the end of the summer it was obvious who had THE CAR in this competition. Becerra won 10 features, including the final five main events of the season, and 16 total races.

How much did Becerra dominate the sport compacts? He won those 10 features and the rest of the division’s drivers combined to win 11.

Track champ Seth Woodruff and steady Kimberly Abbott were first-row selections. Woodruff was the 2011 Driver of the Year. Abbott has been a first-row pick two straight years.

Brandon Lambert and Pat “The People’s Champion” Dunker were second-row choices. Dunker, who came out of the stands and started racing in the second half of the season, was arguably the most popular feature winner of any series this year when he took the checkered flag July 29. And fittingly, Becerra was second that night.